Otome Yōkai Zakuro Manga is written and illustrated by Lily Hoshino. The serialization started back in November 2006 as the manga was published as a seinen manga in the magazine named Comic Birz. The first independent volume was released soon after by Gentosha in January 2008. The last of the ten volumes were released in March 2015.
Soon after the mangaka, Lily stated that she had to stop her work on October 2016 since she needed time to take care of her newborn son. Knowing that the manga industry can be taxing and time-consuming, she decided to go on indefinite hiatus to spend time with her son. It was a tough decision for her, and she expressed her wish to return to her regular work as soon as the situation permitted her.
The fans of Otome Yōkai Zakuro were heartbroken by the news, and there were quite a lot of mixed feelings among the readers. However, amid all the heartbreak and denial, fans slowly started to understand the choice made by the mangaka, and Otome Yōkai Zakuro soon became a manga of the past that they missed.
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Otome Yōkai Zakuro Plot
The plot of Otome Yōkai Zakuro unravels in an alternate Japan, where humans and spirits (also known as Youkai) coexist. In order to make sure that peace is maintained between both of them, the Ministry of Spirits is established, and representatives from both the human and spirit realm are chosen to work there.
From the human side, Lieutenants Riken Yoshinokazura, Kei Agemaki, and Ganryu Hanakiri have been chosen to work with the representative of the spirits, who are Susukihotaru, Zakuro, and Bonbori and Hozuki, respectively.
The story revolves around our main characters, and it is interesting to witness the daily lives of these people, including the underlying political aspect of the story. The representatives from both the human and spirit spheres are the main cast of the manga, along with the antagonists. Zakuro is an assertive half-spirit girl and is partnered with Agemaki Kei. Zakuro held the belief that the ministry should not be established and has a strong sense of Justice due to her traumatic past.
Kei, on the other hand, is a second lieutenant in the imperial army. However, he suffers from a severe fear of spirits and heights. His relationship with Zakuro and his incentive to overcome his fear are both driving factors of the plot. Apart from that, Susukihotaru is a shy half-spirit girl who is partnered with Riken, a straight-faced and stoic lieutenant. Bonbori and Hozuki are cheerful half-spirit girls who are partnered with Ganryu, a proud second lieutenant.
Takatoshi Hanadate, Daidai and Byakuroku, and Rangui are the main antagonists of the story, and they keep trying to bring chaos into the world.
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Otome Yōkai Zakuro Anime Adaptation
Otome Yōkai Zakuro got an anime adaptation in Japan on October 5, 2010. The anime was directed and produced by Chiaki Kon and by J.C.Staff, respectively. Crunchyroll also picked the show to be simulcast and made it available all over the globe to international fans in the United States, Canada, Iceland, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, United Kingdom, and Portugal.
The story has an intriguing concept, exciting plot, and fantastic animation, which draws the attention of the viewers to this unique world. The characters are all well-written to make them relatable to the watchers and get invested in their adventure. Otome Yōkai Zakuro has an opening theme song performed by Sphere which is titled “Moon Signal” and has a very catchy tune. The anime adaptation has only one season with 13 episodes.
Otome Yōkai Zakuro Manga Renewal
After seven long years, the fans of the manga Otome Yōkai Zakuro were overjoyed to receive the news that Lily Hoshino is coming out of her hiatus after a long break. Gentosha‘s Comic Boost manga website, app, and Twitter account were officially announced on Thursday. Lily will return back with the work this fall, and this news has got many long-term fans overjoyed.
The reason behind this extended hiatus was due to the fact that after the birth of her first child in October 2016, she gave birth to a second child in March 2019. After waiting for seven long years, the fans of the manga are getting their wish as the serialization of new chapters will start soon.
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